The present invention relates to a disk recording and/or reproducing apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a disk recording and/or reproducing apparatus for recording and/or reproducing information on and/or from any one of a plurality of disk-like recording mediums.
There are disk recording and/or reproducing apparatuses capable of recording a signal on a disk-like recording medium or reproducing a signal from a disk-like recording medium or recording and reproducing a signal on and from a disk-like recording medium. Of these disk recording and/or reproducing apparatuses, there is a recording and/or reproducing apparatus called a disk changer in which a plurality of disk-like recording mediums are stored and a signal can be recorded on a desired disk-like recording medium.
In the disk changer, the disk-like recording mediums are respectively held on respective holding portions of a disk hold table, and the disk tray is loaded into a case. Then, until a desired disk-like recording medium to be recorded or reproduced reaches a recording and reproducing position, the disk hold table is rotated and the desired disk-like recording medium is chucked on the holding surface by a chucking mechanism provided within the case and thereby recorded or reproduced. At that time, since the recording or reproducing disk-like recording medium is chucked on the holding surface by the chucking mechanism, the disk-like recording medium is slightly spaced apart from the holding surface of the disk hold table in the upper direction.
When another disk-like recording medium is recorded or reproduced, the disk-like recording medium that has been recorded or reproduced so far is released from the chucked state and this disk-like recording medium is again held on the original holding portion of the disk hold table. Then, the disk hold table is rotated and another disk-like recording medium is chucked by the chucking mechanism and thereby recorded or reproduced.
Disk-like recording mediums held on the disk tray can be exchanged by ejecting the disk tray from the case. The disk-like recording medium can be exchanged both in a first mode in which the disk-like recording medium is not being recorded or reproduced and in a second mode in which the disk-like recording medium is being recorded or reproduced.
When the disk-like recording medium is exchanged in the first mode in which the disk-like recording medium is not being recorded or reproduced, all disk-like recording mediums can be exchanged by rotating the disk hold table. When the disk-like recording medium is exchanged in the second mode in which the disk-like recording medium is being recorded or reproduced, if the disk hold table is rotated, there is then the possibility that, when the disk tray is loaded into the case, the disk-like recording medium of which the recording or the reproduction was finished cannot be properly held on the holding portion of the disk hold table. For this reason, the disk-like recording medium cannot be exchanged by rotating the disk hold table. Accordingly, only the disk-like recording medium on a predetermined holding portion of the holding portions of the disk hold table ejected from the case can be exchanged.
In the above disk changer, a large U-shaped groove comprised of two straight-line portions and circular-arc portions continued to each end of the straight-line portions is formed on the bottom surface of the disk tray. There is also provided a tray movement member including a gear portion which is meshed with the rack groove. While one straight-line portion of the rack groove and the gear portion are being meshed with each other, the disk tray is ejected from or loaded into a base assembly in the first mode by rotating the gear portion. While the other straight-line portion of the rack groove and the gear portion are being meshed with each other, the disk tray is ejected from or loaded into the base assembly in the second mode by rotating the gear portion.
However, in the above disk changer, the disk tray is moved in the first mode and the second mode by using the two straight-line portions of the large U-like rack portion and the gear portion of the tray movement member is moved along the rack groove so that a large space required by the tray movement member to move becomes necessary. There is a disadvantage in that spaces in which respective members of other mechanism are disposed are limited.
Since spaces in which respective members are disposed are limited, freedom in design is unavoidably lowered.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a disk recording and/or reproducing apparatus in which the above problems can be overcome and in which freedom in design can be improved by effectively utilizing spaces in which respective portions and mechanisms are disposed.
A disk recording and/or reproducing apparatus according to the present invention comprises a drive motor, a gear drive section including a center gear rotated by the drive motor and first and second planet gears meshed with the center gear and rotated by the center gear, the first and second planet gears being revolving around the center gear, a rack portion selectively meshed with any one of the first planet gear and the second planet gear, a disk tray including a plurality of holding portions on which a plurality of disk-like recording mediums are held, respectively, the disk tray being freely moved between an eject position at which at least one of a plurality of holding portions is projected to the outside of an apparatus body and a loading position at which at least one of a plurality of holding portions is loaded into the apparatus body, a recording and/or reproducing section for recording or reproducing any one disk-like recording medium of a plurality of disk-like recording mediums respectively held on a plurality of holding portions and a preventing mechanism for preventing the first planet gear and the second planet gear from revolving when any of the first planet gear and the second planet gear is meshed with the rack portion, wherein when the disk tray is moved to the eject position while the recording and/or reproducing section is being located at the non-operation state, the preventing mechanism prevents the first planet gear and the second planet gear from revolving and the first planet gear is meshed with the rack portion thereby to allow the disk tray to move between the loading position and the eject position and when the disk tray is moved to the eject position while the recording and/or reproducing section is placed in the state for recording or reproducing any one disk-like recording medium of a plurality of disk-like recording mediums which are respectively held on a plurality of holding portions, wherein the preventing mechanism prevents the first planet gear and the second planet gear from revolving and the second planet gear is meshed with the rack portion to thereby allow the disk tray to move between the loading position and the eject position.
Therefore, in the disk recording and/or reproducing apparatus according to the present invention, the first planet gear and the second planet gear meshed with the rack portion are switched, whereby the disk tray is moved between the loading position at which the disk tray is loaded into the apparatus body and the eject position at which the disk tray is ejected to the outside of the apparatus body.